You Can Walk in Freedom No Matter What

This morning I decided I needed to go out and enjoy the snow with “the young’uns”. Donning the heaviest clothes I could move around in I stepped out onto the snow and gingerly made my way across the cement at our front door. It was great! After walking around and throwing snowballs I noticed that my left foot was hurting. Looking down to see what was wrong I saw that I had gathered a huge ball of snow and leaves on the sole of my shoe. I knocked it loose and walked some more. But both feet were gathering these piles of snow and leaves. It impeded my ability to walk freely about. It was a lot of trouble to stop every few moments and knock snow from the instep of my shoes.

Finally, cold and weary of the constant removal of shoe from beneath my shoes, I went back inside to wait to help warm the first grandchild who got too cold. It just wasn’t worth the trouble and I realized that although the shoes were comfortable for regular walking, they weren’t meant for the snow. I should have picked a different pair, one with a different tread and sturdier ankles. I also realized that had I needed to walk a long way in the snow I would have been in trouble with the shoes I had on. Preparation is important. Without it I didn’t have as much freedom to enjoy the trek outdoors.

When we are born again we come into a kingdom where God has provided everything we’ll ever need for life and godliness. Yet we often find ourselves ill prepared for the situations that come our way.  We tend to want to wear house shoes everywhere. We prefer comfort. We like it. We’re God’s kids and we want it easy. Sometimes we prefer ballet slippers. We want to pirouette through life as though we’re all little princesses and princes. We are in fact God’s kids and since He is the King we are in a sense royalty. But we’re meant to traverse through hard times, rough times and rugged weather. We have to be prepared. Neither house shoes nor ballet slippers will get us through when we need our feet shod with rugged boots.

Thankfully we are blessed. We have an entire wardrobe standing ready for us. We don’t have to go unprepared. We have every need for every situation we find ourselves in. Others only have what they find for themselves, but we have the entire council of God’s Word to choose from. He speaks from Genesis to Revelation for our journey through life. All we have to do is get prepared. And we become prepared by taking in the Word and keeping it handy. We don’t know what we will encounter in the days ahead, but God does. So He has provided us with just the right Word for just the right weather. If all we insist on wearing is flip flops we’ll have a hard time in the winter of life. We may know that we have been saved, but we need to know more. We need to know that God will get us through. We can’t wait until times get hard to try to find the right Words to help us through. We must prepare ahead.

Oh beloved, are you struggling with the situation you are in? Did you find yourself in the midst of adversity and see that you are ill prepared to walk it out in faith? Are you wondering why it has happened? Did you fail to hear the weather report that all will have to walk through tough times and blustery weather? It’s not too late! You can still make it. Just stop in to God’s Wonderful Shop of Truth and let Him fit you with the proper Word for this time in your life. If you will come aside and spend some time with the Lord, reading His Word, searching for the right fit, He will lead you into all truth.  And the truth you put on for your present circumstances will get you there and you will walk through in freedom and grace.  You are not meant to stumble or be hobbled in life, but you are called to walk freely in His Word fully prepared for whatever you may encounter.

God loves you and He’s for you. That’s why you can trust Him to lead you into all truth so that, even when the going gets tough, you will walk in the freedom of His truth. There will be better days of flip flops, house shoes and slippers. But it’s wonderful for you to know that you don’t have to walk hampered as you live in the light of His Word.

Psalm 119:45 And I will walk at liberty, For I seek Your precepts. NLT

Habakkuk 3:19 The Lord God is my Strength, my personal bravery, and my invincible army; He makes my feet like hinds’ feet and will make me to walk [not to stand still in terror, but to walk] and make [spiritual] progress upon my high places [of trouble, suffering, or responsibility]! Amplified Bible

Psalm 86:11 Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear Your name. NLT

2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.  God uses it to prepare and equip His people to do every good work. NLT

Watch That Trap - Keep Your Eyes on Jesus

We’ve traveled the same road for over 30 years heading to one of our favorite getaways. We know that highway like the back of our hands. Sometimes we see a new house that wasn’t there on the last trip. Depending on the time of year we might see beautiful fall leaves or tractors mowing pastures. But most everything we see is about the same.

The last time we were on that road I saw a sign I’ve never seen anywhere ever. It was a bright yellow sign that read “Warning: Large Traps in Area” attached to a gate leading into a wooded area.  It also read trapper license for this season has been issued. I don’t know about you but that’s enough warning to keep me from taking a nice walk through those woods!

As we drove on past, I wondered: Wouldn’t it be nice if there were signs prominently displayed for believers so that we could avoid the traps of the enemy? If we could know that there was extreme danger ahead, signified by a sign, we’d surely avoid those areas altogether. Wouldn’t we?

God speaks to my heart: My precious child. I am your Protector. I walk ahead of you and I cover your back. I direct your steps so that you can avoid the traps of the enemy. I take care of your going and your coming and you are free to live a life of purpose, joy and blessings. I will keep you safe and guard your heart and your mind. My Word is full of warning signs regarding life in Christ and if you heed My warnings you will remain safe in My care. It is when you step out of My will and My precepts that you can get trapped in situations you were never meant to be in. There are times when I speak to your heart and you ignore the intuition and proceed headlong into dangerous areas. You can’t see the danger ahead but I can. Let Me guide you to safety, let Me walk you through the valleys, let Me keep you from the harmful ways that can injure your spirit, mind and body. Because I am your shepherd you can trust Me to guide you into green pastures and away from deadly traps. My plans for you are good and godly and blessed. Don’t follow your own instincts but follow My Word intently. Together we will navigate the things that would trap you and cause you pain and you can walk free to live in the Light of My Word.

Oh beloved, rejoice! God is on your side, watching over you, guiding you, directing your every step so that you can walk free!  The enemy has many, many traps set for you. But the Lord will help you navigate through the situations you are in so that you don’t get trapped in the enemy’s snare. The enemy will never stop trying to set traps, but as long as you remain close to God and walk in His wisdom you will remain free. You can rejoice too that even when the trap is sprung and you find yourself unable to get yourself free from the tyranny of the enemy, God will come to your aid. He’s only a prayer away and He’s able to do exceedingly abundantly beyond all  you could ever ask or think. Call out to Jesus today. Ask Him to guide you. Ask Him to release you. Ask Him to heal the broken places the trap has caused and set you free to enjoy His loving care again.

Lord, help us. We are so prone to wander into enemy territory. Even when signs are present we often ignore them. We acknowledge to You today that we can’t make it through the wilderness without You. We give over our wanderings and our waywardness to You and ask that You renew Your vows to be our Shepherd, our Lord and our Savior. We have no one who can set us free or keep us free but You. Thank you Lord that You love us and You are for us so that we can walk in safety and freedom all the days of our lives.

Psalm 91:2-3 I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!”  For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper….

Psalm 118:5 In my distress I prayed to the Lord, and the Lord answered me and set me free.

Psalm 5:8 Lead me in the right path, O Lord, or my enemies will conquer me. Make Your way plain for me to follow.

Psalm 25:15 My eyes are always on the Lord, for He rescues me from the traps of my enemies.

Psalm 31:4 Pull me from the trap my enemies set for me, for I find protection in You alone.

Psalm 119:98 Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are my constant guide.

Psalm 119:45 I will walk in freedom, for I have devoted myself to Your commandments.

You CAN Walk in FREEDOM!

We watched a rerun of King Kong the other day. The newest version really shows the gorilla as a fierce creature much more realistic than the 1930’s version. His fierceness was overshadowed only by his strength.  Yet for all his strength, he was finally subdued by his enemies. The captors penned him down with enough ropes and strong medicine to knock him out. Their elaborate plan to capture him finally worked, even though he fought them, even though he was stronger, fiercer and bigger.

The word says that the believer is strong and invincible in the face of trials and troubles. We are referred to as more than conquerors and overcomers by the Blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimonies. We are instructed to walk in freedom and be valiant warriors for God.     

Yet the enemy of our soul has an elaborate plan to capture us. Regardless of the promise of spiritual strength to overcome we will fall if we’re not careful. The enemy, our would-be captor, has a cunningly devised plan.  This plan is clever, artful, and ingenious and he has worked hard inventing, developing and formulating the plan.   

Unlike King Kong, who was finally captured, we do not have to succumb to the tactics of the enemy. He’s crafty but we have the Holy Spirit residing in us. This gives us great advantage in the fights of our lives, our hearts, our minds.  As we daily surrender ourselves to God, and declare our dependence on Him alone, we are able to overcome whatever is thrown at us.

While the enemy doesn’t cause every problem in our lives, he certainly wants to take credit for it and use it to his advantage.  If we are angry and we let that anger rule our lives we are submitting to a rope across our back. If we are discouraged and we don’t allow God to replace it with His courage we’ll find another rope has been slung across us.  I would dare say that fear is probably three ropes – fear will tie you down all by itself. Fear of man, fear of failure, fear of the future – none of these are meant to live in our minds, yet without God’s touch we all have fear. The list of ropes goes on and on: disappointment, tragedy, trials, turmoil, sorrow, unbelief…

Thanks be to God the lover of our soul has a plan as well! His plan includes praise, worship and freedom. His plan keeps us safe, keeps us free of terrors and lets us live without concern of the enemy. We don’t have to be taken captive as we learn to apply God’s Word to every situation that comes our way. Ropes are designed to capture us, but we can use them as walkways to greater living.    God’s plan of living even includes rescue when we’ve let ourselves be captured!  He will not allow us to remain captive unless we choose to. He is our Redeemer, Savior and Friend and His Spirit is strong on our behalf to break every chain and loose every bondage we’ve ever had. Brute force, natural strength won’t relieve you, redeem you or set you free. But God’s power is the overcoming victory for every believer.

Oh beloved, God has a wonderful plan for your life! That plan includes walking in freedom no matter what road you are on. It includes walking in strength and power of the Holy Spirit even in the jungles of life.  God is wooing you with His Word this morning to listen and live free. He will lovingly untie every fetter that seeks to control you and keep you down as you give each one to Him.  He’ll even take away the fear of the only natural enemy you have – satan – and replace it with His assurance. You never have to walk in dread of capture as long as you walk in the light of His Word.

God loves you and He’s for you and He provided your ultimate freedom on the Cross so that you can live free and in the power of His might all the days of your life!

Isaiah 43:1-3 Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine.   When you go through deep waters, I will be with you.  When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown.  When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.  For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

Psalm 119:45 I will walk in freedom, for I have devoted myself to your commandments.

Psalm 59:17 O my Strength, to you I sing praises, for you, O God, are my refuge, the God who shows me unfailing love.

Psalm 18:1 I love You, Lord; You are my strength.

Psalm 18:39 You have armed me with strength for the battle; You have subdued my enemies under my feet.

Psalm 89:15 Happy are those who hear the joyful call to worship, for they will walk in the light of Your presence, Lord.